MPHS FBLA National competitors visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. museum
MPHS FBLA members at National opening ceremonies
MPHS FBLA Advisor John Whitten (left) and Natalie Crockett (right)
Natalie Crockett (left) with her national 5th place trophy and national finalist Mea Banda (right)
Contact: Kelly Cowan
MPHS Future Business Leaders of America brings home national awards
The Mount Pleasant High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) had 12 students compete at the National Leadership Conference during the week of June 27-July 1 in Atlanta, Ga. bringing home a national award and a national finalist.
MPHS Class of 2023 senior Natalie Crockett took 5th place in Healthcare Administration. For Crockett, her 5th place showing capped off an excellent year in FBLA as she finished 1st at both the area and state competitions.
MPHS incoming senior Mea Banda advanced to finals in Client Service and finished among the top 15 in the nation. Banda placed 5th at state and received a national alternate. One of the top four finishers at state had to withdraw from Nationals opening the door for her to compete. Banda made the most of the opportunity by placing among the top 15 in the nation.
Along with the competition, students could attend workshops, opening and closing ceremonies, explore the city, and take in some cultures. Among the workshops that MPHS FBLA students attended was one on team building activities led by MPHS incoming senior and Area 6 State Vice President Sophie Greco and her fellow state officers.
Students could visit the city during the week while not competing or attending workshops. They saw the World of Coca-Cola Museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the Ponce City Market, the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Zoo, the Battery Atlanta, and an Atlanta Braves game. They also took a bus tour of famous homes on the Buckhead Mansion Tour, and students also went on a Beltline Tour hike.
“This was such a successful trip in so many ways for MPHS FBLA and completed a long school year of hard work by our students,” FBLA Advisor John Whitten said. “From having Natalie place in the top five and Mea make the top 15 in the nation to our students getting to explore a new city and make priceless memories, this was a great trip. Our students represented MPHS so well. To reach this pinnacle of success speaks volumes about how much hard work our students put in the year.”
Whitten continued, “I am so proud of how our students performed at Nationals and look forward to the upcoming school year. We will be hosting both the Fall Workshop and Fall Leadership Conference. Our students are stepping up in leadership roles, with Sophie now as Area 6 State Vice President, Angelina Hernandez as Area President, and Gopi Amin as Area Parliamentarian.
We look forward to a great 2023-2024 school year.”
Students competing for MPHS at Nationals were Natalie Crockett, Mea Banda, Reese Ball, Sophie Greco, Olivia Reed, Hope Powell, Anthony Orellana, Elijah Rider, Madison Carpenter, Perla Guzman, Kiara Rundles, and Javier Vazquez.
For more information or to join MPHS FBLA, contact John Whitten at [email protected].
MPISD FBLA Middle-Level national finalist, Emily Crabb
FBLA Middle: MPISD FBLA Middle-Level national competitors –1st row (L to R): Aloani Laboy, Sebastian Otero, Zoe Zuniga, Annie Crabb, Abi Verner, Emily Crabb – 2nd row (L to R): Charity Prater, Sage Jordan, Hudson Rider, Aubree Hawkins, Blakely Garrett, Mykaela King, Sabrina Otero – 3rd row (L to R): Isabella Furnish, Juan Mata, Kaiser Sheppard, April Lozano, Jaliyah Brown, Alba Zeqaj, Cooper Rider, Jayden Baker
MPISD FBLA Middle-Level student named a finalist at Nationals
Twenty-one members of the Mount Pleasant ISD Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Middle Level, grades 5th – 8th, competed at the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Ga. from June 25-June 30, with one member named a national finalist.
Emily Crabb, a seventh grader at Mount Pleasant Junior High, was a national finalist in Elevator Speech, placing her in the top 15 nationally. It is Crabb’s second national FBLA award.
While in Atlanta, the students toured the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, visiting Ebenezer Baptist Church, his birth home, tomb, and museum. They toured Buckhead Mansion and took in an Atlanta Braves baseball game. Later in the week, the students visited the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Zoo, and the College Football Hall of Fame. At the National Leadership Conference, team members explored the expo hall, traded pins with teams from other states, and attended a team building workshop led by MPHS FBLA member and Vice-President for Area 6, Sophie Greco, and the other Texas State officers.
“The group represented MPISD with pride during our time at the conference,” said MPISD FBLA Middle-Level Advisor Dana Armstrong. “I am very proud of all the student’s hard work and dedication to prepare for their events. Atlanta was a great learning experience for all of us. The students are already talking about next year! I would like to extend a special thanks to Daisy Banda, advisor, and Nathan and Lisa Rider for all their help during the trip and for the support of the MPISD Administration and the school board. Without you, the trip would not have been possible.”
Students competing for MPISD included Sage Jordan and Zoe Zuniga in Annual Chapter Activities, Mykaela King, Sabrina Otero, and Alba Zeqaj in Business Ethics, Hudson Rider in Career Exploration, Jaliyah Brown in Career Research, Jayden Baker, Blakely Garrett, and Cooper Rider in Community Service Presentation, Annie Crabb and Abi Verner in Exploring Business Issues, April Lozano in FBLA Concepts, Aubree Hawkins and Kaiser Sheppard in Marketing Mix Challenge, Juan Mata and Sebastian Otero in Multimedia and Website Design, and Isabella Furnish, Aloani Laboy, and Charity Prater in Video Game Challenge.
Mount Pleasant ISD FBLA Middle Level was chartered at Wallace Middle School in the fall of 2018 with the help of Matthew Armstrong, 2018-19 MPHS FBLA President and Texas FBLA Area 6 State Vice-President, along with the MPHS FBLA advisor, John Whitten. The group has since expanded to include members from Mount Pleasant Junior High. For more information or to join the MPISD FBLA Middle Level, grades 5th-8th, contact Dana Armstrong at [email protected].